Four-in-one do it yourself automatic door seal



A. CARLSON Dec. 9, 1958 FOUR-IN-ONE DO IT YOURSELF AUTOMATIC DOOR SEAL Filed June 21, 1956 11v VEN TOR. A; BEE T (4250M A T TORNEY WW ab i I. 0' m a 1 (\ILE I llpnu United States Patent lice.

H p 2,863,133 H p FOUR-IN-ONE Do IT YOURSELF AUTOMATIC V noon SEAL Albert Carlson, Brookl n, N. Y.

Application June 21, 1956, Serial No. 592,840 6 Claims. or. 20-68 This invention relates to improvements in door sealing means and is directed more particularly to an automatic seal between the bottom of a door and the saddle or threshold which is automatically effected by the act of closing said door due to the engagement of one of the elements thereof with the jamb of the door just as the latter is about to close.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a pro-assembled unit which a Do It Yourselfer can apply to a door without dismountingthe door from its frame, and by means of a hammer and a screwdriver, which most people have lying around the house.

A further object of the invention is the provision in a compartively thin casing adapted to be applied to a door, of movable means adapted to move in a horizontal sense due to the engagement of a protruding portion of said means with the jamb of said door as it is being closed, and a resilient seal, adjacent to said means and to the bottom of said door, operatively connected to said means and movable downwardly into sealing engage ment with the threshold of said door.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, upon a study of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings which are given by way of example to illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the improved door sealing means with the cover removed to show the relation of the elements;

Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an elevational view similar to Figure 1 except that the door upon which the device is mounted has been closed, and the engagement of one of the elements of the device with the door jamb has effected sealing with the door sill;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic representation of a door upon which the device is mounted, said door being open; and

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the door of Figure 5 after the same has been closed and showing the engagement of a plunger in the device with the jamb of the door for automatically effecting a seal between the door and the sill.

Referring first to Figure 3, the device has a back plate 10, which is secured on the outer surface of the door at the bottom thereof and this plate has a series of sheared and struck-up portions 11, 12, 13, 14, leaving openings 15, 16, 17, 18, from which said struck-up portions are removed. The struck-up portions 11 to 14, inclusive, have aligned holes formed therein, and a push-rod 19 is reciprocally carried in said aligned holes and this pushrod has an actuating portion 20 which extends through a corresponding hole in an end wall 21 of the casing which will be presently described.

The push-rod 19, between the struck-up portion 12 2,863,183 Patented Dec. 9, 1958.

and a washer 22, ;is embraced ,by a helical spring 23. A cross-pin 24 carried by the push-rod 19 is urged axially into contact with the struck-up element 13 by means of the spring 23 and when the end 20 of the push-rod is engaged by the jamb of the door, the push-rod is pushed toward the left thereby compressingthe spring 23 and when the push-rod is moved its limit, the elements assume the position shown in Figure 4, wherein the spring 23 is compressed and is urging the push-rod to the right, as seen in Figure 4. What happens when the push rod 20 is pushed all the way in, will be presently described. The extremity 20 of the push-rod has a rounded portion 25 which engages the jamb of the door and lends smooth action to the device.

The push-rod 19 has pivotally secured thereto on opposite sides thereof, for example by means of riveted studs 26, a series of pairs of link elements 27, each pair being disposed with the push-rod 19 between them, so that as the push-rod is actuated, substantially even forces are transmitted via said pairs of links from the push-rod 19 to an upright portion 28 of a sealing member 30, Although the sealing member may take a number of different forms and may be formed of many different kinds of resilient materials, I show the one indicated at 31 by way of example which is formed of deformable material, such for example, as rubber. The element 31 in the embodiment shown is round in cross-section and is elongated so as to extend from the end wall 21 on one side thereof to the end wall 34 on the other end thereof, with suflicient snugness to prevent air from passing be: tween the element 31 and said end plates. The element 31 may have an elongated insert 29 molded in or otherwise secured therein, for example, the element 29 may have a lower bifurcated end 32 and it may have a shank 33 extending upwardly into an elongated rectangular body 35 which may form an extension of the element 31. A series of holes is formed in the extension 35 to accommodate riveted studs 26 which movably couple the pairs of links 27 to the extension, one of the links of each pair being on one side of the extension and the other being on the other side of the extension. In Figure 5, a portion of a door 36 is shown hinged to a door frame 37 by means of hinges, one of which is shown at 38, has one of the devices designated by the numeral 40 mounted thereon and it can be seen from Figure 5 that the plunger end 20 of the push-rod 19 extends through the end wall and is in a position wherein it will come in contact with the door jamb 37 when the door is being closed and will cause the sealing element 31 to move downwardly and resiliently contact the sill 39 and effect a tight seal therewith. Figure 6 shows the door 36 in the closed position and shows the portion broken away so that the device 40 has its plunger pushed to contain substantially all of its body within the cover casing 42. The casing 42 which also functions as a kick plate, has a vertical portion 43, an angular portion 44, formed integral therewith and a hook-like portion 45 which extend over and engages the offset portion 46 of the back plate 10. The portion 44 forms a drip cap, and the portion 45 effects a seal with 46. Now when the door is closed, the end 20 of the plunger is substantially flush with the end plate 21, as is indicated in Figure 4, and this means that it has been shoved to the left as seen in Figure 4 with the result that the angular relation of the pairs of links 27 has been changed to bring the links more nearly vertical due to the fact that on the left end of the device the sealing element 31 cannot be moved any further to the left, therefore the result is a downward movement of the element 31 into resilient engagement with the door sill 39. The spring 23, due to this movement to the left, is compressed and it tends to return the plunger to its initial position (as it cannot do so long as the door is closed). On the other hand, when the door is opened, the plunger moves outwardly to its normal position under the urge of the spring 23.

The device may be sold to Do It Yourselfers who may, within a very few minutes, mount the device on the outside face of the door down at the bottom thereof by means of screws 47.

The back plate 10, when mounted on the door, also functions as a fishplate and discourages any tendency of the stiles to come apart laterally.

Although I have shown and described by way of example one embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the arrangements shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a door, a threshold for said door and a frame to Which said door is hinged, a casing mounted on said door adjacent to the threshold end thereof, the lower end of said casing having an elongated opening, a support carrying a sealing element normally spaced apart from the lower end of said casing and movable therein on a vertical plane, a push-rod provided with spring biasing means horizontally disposed within said casing and having one end extending through the end of said casing adjacent to the portion of the frame upon which said door is hinged and adapted to be moved reciprocally therein as the door is being closed or opened, and connecting elements or links between said push-rod and the sealing element support, each link having one end pivotally connected to said push-rod and its 'other end pivotally connected to said sealing element support, so that as the door is being closed and the extending end of the push-rod engages said frame the sealing element is forced down against said threshold by said links, said spring means consisting of a coil spring encircling the push-rod intermediate of said push-rod so as to balance the downward movement of the sealing member.

2. In combination with a door, a threshold forsaid door and a frame to which said door is hinged, a casing mounted on said door adjacent to the threshold end thereof, the lower end of said casing having an elongated opening, a support carrying a sealing element normally spaced apart from the lower end of said casing and movable therein on a vertical plane, a push-rod horizontally disposed within said casing and having one end extending through the end of said casing adjacent to the portion of the frame upon which said door is hinged and adapted to be moved reciprocally therein as the door is being closed or opened, spring means urging said push-rod through said end of said casing and connecting elements or links between said push-rod and the sealing element support, each link having one end pivotally connected to said push-rod and its other end pivotally connected to said sealing element support, so that as the door is being closed and the extending end of the push-rod engages said frame the sealing element is forced down against said threshold by said links, said spring means consisting of a coil spring encircling the push-rod intermediate of said push-rod so as to balance the downward movement of the sealing member.

3. The invention according to claim 2, in which said casing has struck up portions with laterally aligned holes therein in which said push-rod is reciprocally mounted.

4. The invention according to claim 2, in which said link are arranged in pairs, one member of each pair being disposed to one side of the push-rod and the support and the other member being disposed to the other side of thepush-rod and the sealing element support, the pivotal connections between the ends of the pairs of links and the push-rod and the sealing element support employing common pins.

5. The invention according to claim 1, in which the linkages of said links have lateral portions which extend outside of said push-rod and said element support and portions, which join said lateral portions, extending through said push-rod and said element.

6. An automatic sealing arrangement for automatic operation upon closure of a door within a frame comprising a supporting frame structure at the bottom -of the door, an upper horizontally reciprocable push-rod extending across the lower part of the door, a lower vertically and horizontally reciprocable laterally extending sealing barto be pressed upon closure of the door against the lower part ofthe frame, a plurality of vertical flange members carried by said structure and extending transversely across said rod and bar and having aligned guide openings 'to 'locate'and guide the lateral movement of the rod inthe bar, at least two of said flange members being symmetrically positioned at opposite ends of said rod and bar and at least two being positioned closely together centrally and intermediately of the length of said rod and bar, a balancing coil spring positioned centrally on said rod between said two last mentioned flange members and swinging vertical links connecting said rod to liftthe bar upon opening of the door and to depress the bar upon closing of the door, said rod having a projecting actuating portion operated by closure of the door and by contact with the sides of the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 752,355 Parker Feb. 16, 1904 1,514,140 Dodge Nov. 4, 1924 2,062,229 Lewis Nov. 24, 1 936 FQREIGN PATENTS 704 Great Britain Jan. 11, 1910 28,553/30 Australia Aug. 19, 1931 823,975 France Oct. 25, 1937 507,229 Belgium Dec. 15, 1951 299,958 Switzerland Sept. '16, 1954 

